postpartum depression

Question
I have a 2 and 1/2 year old boxer. She gave birth to her first litter of pups 3 weeks ago. She has now started to act depressed. She lays around whining and has begun to ignore the puppies. I have taken her to the vet and she is completely healthy physically. Her behavior recently is very concerning. If she is suffering from depression what can I do to help?

Answer
Get her to a different vet!

Depression, legarthy, loss of appetite and ignoring the puppies is a sign of a serious health problem from the whelping.

http://www.debbiejensen.com/care_mother.html

http://www.2ndchance.info/caninelaborstages.htm

http://www.uslink.com/~farnham/reproduc.htm

http://www.bobmckee.com/Client%20Info/Nutrition/care%20of%20newborns.html

Bottle feed your babies. Buy regular baby bottles with a slow nipple.

Here is a formula:

1 can evaporated milk
1 raw egg
1 cup whole plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon Kayro syrup

(grocery store generics are okay)

Blend in a blender. Do not froth.

Pour into a gallon milk carton and add 5 ounces of bottled water and shake to blend. Refrigerate.

Make a baby bottle of formula-- feed at room temperature. When you need to feed them, heat in microwave without the nipple on it of course. Put the nipple on and shake the baby bottle to blend (it can heat bottom and be cold on  top, or visa-versa) and stick your pinky finger in the bottle to test the warmth-- it should be a close to room temp as possible. Not cold- not hot. Just like a human baby.

Feed them by sitting on the floor by their whelping box bed, place a folded clean sheet in your lap, have 2 clean, soft wash cloths handy (1 for blotting their mouth, the other for the poo accident once they are pooping on their own, which they do at 1 week old. They will poop when nursing or right after)....

Lay the pup in your lap on the sheet and cover him with half the sheet to keep him warm and drafts off him while feeding. Lay him on his stomach and keep the bottle lifted nice enough to reduce air, and let him kneed your fingers as he drinks. If you hold the bottle close to the screw on nipple, he can knead your fingers.

Don't let them drink too fast or have milk come out their noses.

When finished,. blot his mouth, and hold him in you hand by supporting his head and arms with your hand around his chest area, allowing him to "sit" on your lap, while patting his back for burping-- he must burp before putting him back in his bed. Be sure the pup is held in an upright sitting position while patting and burping- sometimes they burp once and if you keep patting- they will burp again.

To stimulate peeing and pooping: make a warm bowl of water and take a clean wash cloth and wet it and wring it and gently, ever so gently, wipe their genitals for a minute. Warm and wet it again, and wipe their anus. This will help stimulate their peeing, etc.

But, get mom to a different vet immediately.

It is a sign of an infection and she should not nurse because of her health at the moment. The doctor should do a blood test for calcium deficiency which is life threatening--- he can give her calcium in an IV  instantly to save her life. If it is from afterbirth retention that needs expelling, he will give her a shot of "Pit" to start contractions to expel it- or even surgery to clean her out. Either way, this is life threatening and you need a vet that knows the ins and outs and is willing to test and check and not give up until there is a definite answer to treat.

Dogs do not get postpartum depression. They show signs of illness.